Top 5 Of The Week

Week of 3/24/25

Digital Health Usage

Younger Generations Embrace Digital Health

Gen Z and Millennials are in charge of adopting digital health technologies. They actively use health apps to monitor fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being, easily integrating these tools into their daily lives. These digital natives also frequently opt for telemedicine, valuing its convenience and immediate access to care. However, challenges arise as they navigate the overwhelming volume of online health information and work to protect the privacy of their data in an increasingly connected world.

Older Generations Adapt to Digital Tools

Gen X and Baby Boomers engage with digital health solutions at a steadier pace, steadily catching up to their younger counterparts. They increasingly turn to online resources to manage their health and adopt wearable devices to track chronic conditions, finding value in technology's ability to support their well-being. Many choose telemedicine as a practical alternative to in-person visits, particularly those with mobility limitations. Still, digital literacy poses a hurdle, but healthcare providers can bridge this gap by offering intuitive tools and educational support to enhance their experience.

Research from Rock Health

GHX

Company Background

Global Healthcare Exchange (GHX), founded over two decades ago, connects healthcare providers and suppliers. The company offers solutions, including inventory management, supply chain automation, and payment processing, which enhance operational efficiency and reduce costs for healthcare organizations. GHX's platform supports over 80% of licensed beds in the U.S. and a significant portion of medical-surgical products used in care delivery. Recent activities include partnerships and acquisitions, such as the 2023 acquisition of Prodigo Solutions, which expanded its capabilities in procure-to-pay processes.

Ownership and Investment History

Temasek, a Singaporean government-backed investment firm, acquired a majority stake in GHX in 2017 from Thoma Bravo, which had owned the company since 2014. In 2021, Warburg Pincus, a leading global growth investor, invested $500 million to acquire a minority stake, providing an exit for Thoma Bravo. This investment was part of GHX's strategy to fuel growth and innovation, with Temasek remaining the majority equityholder. The current ownership structure positions Temasek and Warburg Pincus as the key decision-makers in the sale process, potentially leveraging their stakes to realize significant returns.

Sale Process and Valuation

As of March 2025, Temasek and Warburg Pincus are actively exploring the sale of their majority stake in GHX, which is valued at up to $5 billion. The sale process, reported by sources such as the Financial Times (Temasek and Warburg Pincus seek up to $5bn for the sale of healthcare company GHX), involves working with advisors to oversee a potential full or partial divestment.

Updated Threat Advisory Overview

On March 18, 2025, the American Hospital Association (AHA) and Health-ISAC (Health Information Sharing and Analysis Center) received multiple reports from the field regarding a public social media post alleging active planning of a coordinated, multi-city terrorist attack targeting hospitals in the coming weeks. In response to these alarming reports, the AHA and Health-ISAC issued a threat advisory on March 26, 2025, to alert healthcare organizations and ensure they remain informed and prepared for potential risks. However, following an investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has confirmed that there is no specific or credible threat currently targeting healthcare organizations, offering reassurance to the healthcare community.

Fitness Tracking with a High-Tech T-Shirt

A high-tech T-shirt that tracks vital signs blends advanced technology with everyday clothing. Developed by companies like OMsignal, these workout shirts feature specially woven conductive threads that monitor key health metrics such as heart rate, breathing patterns, and calories burned. A band around the chest, made with silver-based thread, captures electrical signals and sends them to a small device that snaps onto the shirt. This device, equipped with an accelerometer, gyrometer, and magnetometer, connects to a smartphone app via Bluetooth, offering real-time feedback during exercise. Users can see if they're in the optimal zone for weight loss or aerobic gains, adjust their breathing as the app guides, and even assess energy levels for future workout planning. By measuring data directly from the chest, this T-shirt provides potentially more accurate insights than wrist-based devices, making it a powerful tool for performance and recovery.

Beyond fitness, a high-tech T-shirt that tracks vital signs transforms post-surgical care by enabling remote monitoring and improving patient outcomes. Researchers have created lightweight shirts embedded with sensors to measure heart electrical activity, respiration, heart rate, and body temperature, transmitting this data to healthcare providers through an app and web-based software. In a study of patients recovering from urological surgery for cancer, those wearing the T-shirt left the hospital up to a day and a half earlier than those receiving standard care, with fewer returning unexpectedly before their follow-up appointments. Remarkably, the shirt identified early heart problems in five patients, allowing for timely treatment. This technology not only enhances patient comfort by reducing hospital stays but also lowers healthcare costs and prevents complications through continuous monitoring, showcasing its potential as a vital tool in modern medicine.

Another Behavioral Health EHR

ProsperityEHR is an electronic health record (EHR) platform launched on March 25, 2025, built specifically for behavioral health organizations. Below are the key features from the PropsertityEHR announcement.

Frictionless Digital Intake: The platform simplifies patient onboarding with a digital process, reducing paperwork and manual entry—common pain points in behavioral health settings where patient histories and consent forms are critical.

Flexible Appointment Scheduling: It provides adaptable scheduling options, accommodating the unpredictable nature of therapy sessions and crisis interventions often seen in mental health practices.

Automated Workflows: Tasks like patient intake, eligibility checks, and claims processing are automated, cutting down on administrative time so providers can prioritize patient interaction over clerical work.

Scalability and Interoperability: ProsperityEHR integrates with tools like insurance verification systems and telehealth platforms, supporting behavioral health practices that need to grow or adapt services (e.g., virtual therapy) without increasing staff workload.

AI Readiness and User-Centered Design: It incorporates forward-looking tech and an intuitive interface to ease documentation and workflow challenges specific to behavioral health, such as detailed progress notes or treatment plans.

ProsperityEHR isn't the only one targeting this niche. Here are other platforms that also cater to mental health professionals.

Valant: A specialized EHR for behavioral health, Valant offers narrative-generating documentation (e.g., auto-generated progress notes) and outcome measurement tools to track patient progress—features that appeal to therapists and psychiatrists focused on clinical outcomes.

TherapyNotes: Known for its comprehensive practice management, TherapyNotes includes scheduling, billing, and note-taking features tailored for mental health providers. Its strong emphasis is on usability for solo practitioners and small practices.

PIMSY: With nearly 15 years of experience, PIMSY provides a flexible, customizable EHR for behavioral health. This allows practice to tailor workflows to specific needs, such as substance abuse treatment or group therapy settings.

SimplePractice: A widely used platform offering EHR, telehealth, and billing tools for mental health professionals, focusing on ease of use and client engagement features like online booking.

TheraNest (by Wiley): Designed for counselors and therapists, it includes client portals, treatment planning, and billing and emphasizes supporting group practices and nonprofits.